Handheld computers are becoming ubiquitous. These handheld devices are also referred to as personal digital assistants (PDA), pocket personal computers (pocket PC), or palmtop computers. A handheld computer may be small enough to fit into a purse or a pocket, and may weigh less than one pound. As a result, the handheld computer is very portable.
A person can interact with the handheld computer using a stylus, or pen, to touch a portion of the display screen. Electronic sensors in a display screen of the handheld computer detect the point of contact between the stylus and the screen. The user can input information into the handheld computer by tracing the shape of a character on the display screen. The user can also cause the handheld computer to perform a function by touching the name of the function when the name is displayed on the screen.
However, a conventional desktop computer typically moves a cursor through a series of menus by receiving user input from keyboard keys, such as arrow keys for example, or from a mouse. As a result, using a stylus to navigate through menus may be difficult for an inexperienced user, and even awkward for a user with some experience. Using keys to receive user input may be more convenient, however, traditional key-based solutions require four or more keys to move a cursor. This large number of keys dedicated to cursor movement may be acceptable in conventional desktop keyboards because the size of the keyboard is typically large enough to accommodate this large number of keys. However, in a handheld computer, reducing the number of keys on the keyboard is important because of the comparatively small amount of space available for keyboard keys. Thus, a need exists to reduce the amount of keys required to move a cursor through menus and menu items of a handheld computer.